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April 8, 2006 Ibdaa Health Committee Panel Discussion

Workers from the Ibdaa Health Committee of the Dheisheh Refugee Camp will be in Madison as part of a national tour. The Committee consists of volunteer health professionals, including nurses, physicians, and social workers.

The goals of the tour are to build relationships and encourage an exchange of ideas and educational information. There will be a panel discussion with local health providers in Madison.

The Dheisheh Refugee Camp is located in the West Bank of Palestine near Bethlehem. The Ibdaa Health Committee is committed to improving the welfare of the camp’s residents despite the conditions in the West Bank.

The event is free and open to the public. The Committee delegates are:

Wisam Hasanat
Wisam is from Dayr Duban Village. He was born and raised in Dheisheh Refugee Camp along with his six brothers and four sisters. Wisam was politically active during the first Intifada as a young adolescent. He was shot in both legs by an Israeli soldier while participating in a demonstration against the military occupation. Wisam received his practical nursing degree in Hebron; he is currently completing his BSN at Al Quds University. He works at the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation and Surgery. His specialty areas include surgical and emergency care. Wisam is an active member of the Nursing Union and the Union of Palestine Healthcare Workers. Wisam is a founding member and director of the Ibdaa Health Committee. He is married and has two sons.

Areej Ja’fari
Areej is from Dary Rafat Village. She was born and raised in Dheisheh Refugee Camp. She is currently completing her BS degree in Computers and Information Systems. Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women constitutes her primary political aim. She joined the first women’s basketball team and is currently the coordinator of the Women’s Committee where she organizes educational programs in English, computers, and leadership training. Areej has five sisters and two brothers.

Talal Shihadeh
Talal is from Faluja Village. Following the 1948 Nekba, his family fled to Hebron where they lived until the 70’s, and then to Dheisheh Refugee Camp. Talal was politically active within the resistance movement prior to and during the first Intifada; he is a former political prisoner. He assumed a leadership role within the student union at Bethlehem University while working on his nursing degree. Talal is a founding member of the Ibdaa Health Committee and currently serves as the Director of Public Relations. He is a nurse with more than 17 years of experience. Talal worked at Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem for 14 years, but was forced to leave his position by the construction of the apartheid wall and the denial of a travel permit. Talal currently works at Beit Jala General Hospital in surgical and emergency care and pediatrics. He is an active member of the Nursing Union and the Union of Palestine Healthcare Workers. He is currently completing his MA in Public Health at Al Quds University. Talal is married and has two sons.

Sponsored by SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Center for Global Health, and the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project.